Whether you are exploring your gender identity or sexuality for the first time, are questioning it all together and exploring the ACE spectrum, or have a difficult relationship with it wrapped in judgement or shame; it can be confusing.

You can expect a non-judgmental, affirming space to examine and process how your life (and mental health) has been impacted by your gender and sexuality and vice versa.

So, bring your kinks, internalized religious messages, your sexual partners and/or your polycule, because all parts of your identity are welcome.

Avoidance makes anxiety worse. Working to avoid things (i.e. food, social settings, rejection, the unknown, your body, your feelings, other people’s feelings, etc.) that cause discomfort, reinforce doubts about being able to tolerate distress.

Our work would encourage you to expose yourself to discomfort and strengthen your coping skills to move through anxiety. Through utilizing values-based work, we help clients ground into why braving discomfort is worth it.

*Frequent breathing and laughing along the way. 

There is a significant overlap between eating disorders and neurodivergence. The way your brain operates and processes information is important to understand and work within.

We will experiment with the best ways to implement supportive systems, reduce sensory overwhelm, and enhance your skills and functioning through evidence and encouragement; not criticism.

Eating Disorders, Chronic Dieting, Gender Expression & Body Image

I know what it's like to struggle with being in a body, with how my body is perceived in this world. I’m familiar with that insidious belief that, "If I can control the way my body looks, then I can control the way others see me, how they treat me."

With a Health At Every Size (HAES) perspective, our evidence-based approaches are rooted in acceptance and compassion, to increase self-worth. By building confidence and trust in your ability to exist within your body, there is less of a concern around needing external approval or validation (I know it's not as easy as it sounds).

It really sucks feeling depressed. Symptoms like little-to-no motivation, hopelessness, low energy, and, at times, a general lack of interest in existing make it quite challenging to get through it on your own.

Forming reasonable expectations, implementing routines, and working on different responses to difficult feelings, like sadness or despair is part of our approach. Additionally, working to understand the obstacles (negative self-talk, impacts of trauma, learned helplessness, negativity bias, etc.) provides insight for identifying and disengaging from unhelpful behavior or thought patterns.